National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship Program

This is a non-personal services requirement to provide National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship services to be directed by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) for the Department of Defense (DoD). The NDSEG Contractor shall provide all personnel, supplies, facilities, tools, materials, supervision, and other items and non-personal services necessary to provide the NDSEG services as defined in this PWS.

Objectives The objectives of the NDSEG Fellowship Program are provided below.

1. Attraction of applicants (outreach and promotion): The intent of NDSEG is to attract highly qualified potential or current students pursuing doctorates in DoD relevant research disciplines. The Contractor shall actively pursue STEM students pursuing doctoral degrees at Carnegie classification R1 R3 institutions including underrepresented community institutions (HBCUs/MSIs/Tribal) via an aggressive campaign utilizing various platforms (social media, professional conferences and workshops, webinars, university visits). The Contractor should make every effort to increase the percentage of applicants from underrepresented institutions by 5% each year.
2. Attraction and Recruitment of selection panel experts: The Contractor shall attract and select subject matter experts (SMEs) in the DoD relevant research disciplines to comprise the selection panel board(s). These SMEs will be from academia, government, and industry science and technology communities. The Panelists must (1) work or have worked within the last two years as an active researcher, professor, or department head at an accredited university, government, or industry and hold a PhD or equivalent degree; or (2) work or have worked within the last ten years as an active researcher, professor, or department head at an accredited university, government, or industry and hold a master's degree and have a depth of technical expertise and experience reflected in publications, and a respected reputation in their technical or academic community. All applications must be submitted via the secure contractor website.
3. The Contractor will maintain and manage the selection panels. Selection panel members must be approved by the Government Program Manager (GPM).
4. Evaluation of applicants: The selection panel board(s) will review and rank all applicants. The initial review will result in the top 20% per research discipline being selected and eligible for final selection as DoD NDSEG fellows. Final selection of DoD NDSEG fellows will be made by DoD selection panels. DoD selection panels will consist of scientists and engineers from the Department of the Air Force (the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and the United States Space Force (USSF)), the Army Research Office (ARO), and the Office of Naval Research (ONR).
5. Placement and management of NDSEG fellows: The Contractor will manage the execution and placement of fellows and all financial matters (tuition, stipend, other expenses, travel, and benefit payments) for fellows once awarded the DoD NDSEG fellowship. The Contractor will serve as the liaison between the fellows and the GPM on all matters relating to the NDSEG fellowship. The Contractor will submit status reports for current and former fellows annually.
6. Attraction and Recruitment of DoD mentors: The Contractor shall assist DoD to attract potential mentors who are current DoD S&Es in DoD laboratories. The mentors must (1) work in a DoD organization; (2) work or have worked within the last two years as an active researcher and hold a PhD or equivalent degree; or (3) work or have worked within the last five years as an active researcher or industry and hold a master's degree and have a depth of technical expertise and experience reflected in publications, and a respected reputation in their technical or academic community. Potential mentor applications must be submitted via the contractor website. Mentee and mentor pairings must be assigned and authorized by the DoD agency NDSEG program managers.
7. Management of DoD NDSEG Mentoring Program: The Contractor shall coordinate and administer all aspects of the mentoring program for 2025 and 2026 fellowship classes and their DoD mentors. The DoD will collaborate with Contractor on best practices, lessons learned, and other resources where applicable.